This invention relates to a device for sensing a damp condition in a baby's diaper and alerting attending persons as to such condition.
Diaper rash is painful and costly. This inventor as a parent of three who all had their share of diaper rash has considerable experience on the subject including the sleepless nights to watch them suffer. If an infant develops diaper rash on top of a nasty cold or vice versa, it means real trouble. Yet it can happen to any of them. All it takes is to sleep in wet stool-soiled diaper overnight in chilly weather. Although medications to treat diaper rash are available, they are after the fact and nothing in terms of prevention of it is on the market.
Since the discharge of stool would always be accompanied by urine while the reverse is not so, a device to detect urine in diaper would be sufficient for detecting both. And since changing soiled diapers on time to keep the skin dry and clean would eliminate the cause of diaper rash, this invention, therefore, would prevent diaper rash.
Numerous devices have earlier been disclosed for detecting and signalling the presence of urine in garments of babies and older people having medical problems. Many such devices, however, have been expensive to manufacture and uncomfortable to wear. Some have utilized rather high electrical currents, and some would be difficult to use. Most of all, although it is desirable to alert attending persons to change the infant's diaper, it is undesirable to use alerting means which will condition the infant to unnaturally interrupt or cease urination.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a urine sensing and alerting device which causes minimal discomfort to the wearer and is operable with very low electrical current.
It is another object of this invention to provide a device as in the foregoing object which is as easy to use as fastening a safety pin.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a device of the aforesaid nature for use in hospital nurseries enabling a nurse to quickly ascertain which baby's diaper needs changing.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a device of the aforesaid nature to turn off the alerting means promptly so as not to disturb others unnecessarily during the night.
It is a rather vital object of the present invention to provide a device of the aforesaid nature which does not interfere with an infant's normal urination.
It is still further object of this invention to provide a device of the aforesaid nature of safe and compact construction amenable to low cost manufacture for the benefit of common people.
These and other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following description.